Tarn Taran, September 9
Activists of Shiv Sena today shouted slogans against a nursing home here today for discharging a woman soon after delivery who died last night due to excessive bleeding.

Mr Ashwani Kumar, president of the Shiv Sena, alleged that the woman died due to the alleged negligence of the nursing home.

He said Neetu Sharma, wife of Deepak Sharma, was admitted to the nursing home a few days back. He alleged that she collapsed after giving birth to a male child as she was discharged soon after her delivery.

The police had to make security arrangements at the nursing home keeping in view the agitating Shiv Sena workers. Mr Navjot Singh, SHO of the city police station, said the matter was being investigated.

Patiala, September 9
As many as 150 persons pledged to donate eyes at a function organised here today to commemorate the closure of National Eye Donation Fortnight as part of the National Blindness Control Programme.

The event was organised and hosted under the aegis of Patiala Eye Hospital and Lasik Laser Centre and was managed by eye surgeon Sukhdip Singh Boparai.

Fans take autographs from TV actor Girja Shankar at the Languages Department in Patiala on Saturday.
— Tribune photo by Rajesh Sachar

Patiala, September 9
Versatile film and TV actor Girja Shankar, who captured the viewers’ attention while playing Dhritarashtra (the blind king) in the magnum opus ‘Mahabharat’ is all set to launch a new Punjabi TV serial, ‘Assan Hun Tur Jana’.

The mahurat shot of the new serial, which is being produced by Girja Shankar and directed by Manprit Gill, will take place tomorrow at the Punjab Languages Department, here. The mahurat shot of the 52-episode serial will be taken by Patiala MP Preneet Kaur.

Elaborating the plot, the Patiala-born and bred Girja Shankar said it was designed with four main female characters who are studying in the final year of a post graduation course in a university. All four belong to different social and cultural backgrounds and the director and the serial is about their coming together.

The central idea of the female-dominated TV serial is that family values are more important than materialistic things.

Girja Shankar, who has starred in serials like the superhit ‘Buniyaad’, ‘Chunni’ and ‘Alif Laila,’ says his serial is replete with romance, emotions, comedy and melodrama. He added that there were no big stars in the serial and almost all the caste comprised fresh faces.

Bathinda, September 9
The BKU Ugraha today accused the district administration of siding with commission agents following the registration of a case against some farmers for their yesterday’s clash with
arhtiyas.

Interestingly, the agents too have blamed the administration for their assault.

In a press release, district BKU president Shingara Singh Mann alleged that a group of armed commission agents, in connivance with the Naib Tehsildar, attacked farmers of Maiserkhana village.

He claimed that some farmers suffered injuries and they retaliated under the union’s banner. He alleged that the Naib Tehsildar remained a mute spectator to the clash.

He said the police should have registered a case against the commission agents, as they were the ones who “triggered the clash by assaulting farmers”. He said if the case registered against the farmers was not withdrawn and commission agents responsible for the attack weren’t booked, the union would intensify its stir. On the other hand, commission agents held a march against the BKU in Maur Mandi today. For the second day in succession, the town’s grain market did not witness any bidding.

The general secretary of Arhtiya Association said they would hold a rally on September 13 in which commission agents from Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and Sangrur will participate.

They said they were beaten up in the presence of government officials. They said the ruling party would have to pay a heavy price in the forthcoming Assembly election if the state government did not act against “mischievous elements” in farmer bodies.

Barnala, September 9
The court of Additional Sessions-Judge, Mr Fatehdeep Singh, awarded 10 years’ imprisonment to two persons including a woman, today. The accused are Muktiar Kaur, wife of Dalip Singh, and Amritpal Singh son of Dalip Singh. The court sentenced the 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh each to the mother-son duo in a poppy husk case. In the case of non-payment of fine, both accused will have to undergo 2-year additional imprisonment.

As per the police record, the local police registered a case against the mother and her son on January 4,
2003. the police recovered 65 kg of poppy husk when it raided on a canter at Chunga village in which both were carrying the poppy husk. A case was Registered under Sections 15/61/85 of the NDPS Act. The court found both guilty of the crime in Barnala and surrounding places.

Hoshiarpur, September 9
More than 650 members of the Punjab Polytechnic Staff Joint Action Committee, led by their president, Mr Gurbaxshish Singh, blocked vehicular traffic on the Talwara-Mukerian road, 80 km from here, this afternoon in protest against the proposed privatisation of polytechnics and ITIs by the Punjab Government. Later, Mr Romesh Chander Dogra, Technical Education Minister, Punjab, intervened and got the traffic resumed.

Earlier, the members staged a rally at Talwara to lodge their protest against the privatisation policy of the Punjab Government. Addressing the rally, Mr Gurbaxshish Singh said the state government was running 18 polytechnics and 97 ITIs which were being given to private parties. This would make technical education costlier.

He said a state-level rally would be organised at Chandigarh on September 14 to oppose the privatisation move. He said polytechnic and ITI employees would oppose Mr Dogra in the forthcoming state Assembly elections to ensure his defeat.

Fatehgarh Sahib, September 9
Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary Education, today made a surprise visit at Mata Gujri Government Senior Secondary School, adjoining the house of the Deputy Commissioner.

He was accompanied by Mr Jagtar Singh Khatra, DPI(E), and the Deputy Commissioner.

Mr Kaushal was disappointed to see that most of the students were not aware of their subjects.

He expressed concern over the state of affairs and said it was a shame that in a district headquarters school, students couldn’t even the names of days and months properly even as good salaries were being paid to teachers.

Later talking to The Tribune, he said about 60 lakh students were studying in Government schools and it was a great responsibility to provide them with quality education.

He said sitting in Chandigarh, it was not possible to know the grassroot problems so he had decided to visit every nook to get first-hand information. Officers of the Education Department had also been directed to visit the schools.

He said under the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan, training programmes had been started for teachers.

He called upon retired Professors, educationists, civil and Army officers to come forward to help the Government in improving the standard of education.

He had asked Deputy Commissioners to form NGOs of this section of society and assign them a period in schools on
Saturdays.